The invention relates to oil or fluid drip pads and more particularly to a new and improved automotive drip pad assembly that can be secured to the underside of a vehicle.
Presently, 74% of the vehicles on the highway are over 4 years old and a great may of them have oil or fluid leaks. Often the cost of repairing the oil or fluid leak is substantial and the owner may not have sufficient money to cover the expense of the repairs. One of the most common areas for finding the oil or fluid leaks is on a garage floor or driveway. These leaks are both unsightly and dangerous. Every year there are hundreds of people injured in oil-related slip and fall accidents. Oil leaks on the roadways become a serious problem during wet weather where 80% of the accidents are caused by oil on the roads.
There have been previous inventions that have recognized the oil drip problem but none of these have solved the problem.
The Paananen U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,702 is directed to an automotive drip pad assembly designed to catch oil and grease leaks from the engine and transmission. It shows a pad member supported by brackets that have to be secured to bolts conventionally employed to mount the oil pan on the engine.
The Moon U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,713 is directed to an automotive engine oil drip pan that has its top surface specifically contoured to mate with the bottom surface of the engine and transmission and could only be used for leaks emanating therefrom. Special attachment brackets are required and these are installed by removing existing bolts and placing the bracket over the hole from which the bolt was removed. The bolt is then passed back through a clearance hole in the bracket and the bolt is tightened to secure the bracket in place. The bracket has a second hole through which a suspension element passes.
The Miller U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,775 is directed to an engine oil leak catch pan for leaks from the joint between the engine and the transmission housing. The top surface of the unit is specifically contoured to the shape of the transmission housing and can only be used for catching leaks in this area.
The Clausen U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,418 is directed to an oil drip collector that is only used while the vehicle's oil is changed. This collector can not remain on the vehicle while it is being driven. It is an object of the invention to provide a novel automotive drip pad assembly that is easily installed under a car in just a few minutes and requiring no tools.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel automotive drip pad assembly that is economical to manufacture and market.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel automotive drip pad assembly that can be used under an oil pan, a transmission or anywhere oil or fluid is leaking beneath the vehicle.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide an automotive drip pad assembly that can be used on automobiles, trucks, buses, tractors, equipment, boats, etc.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel automotive drip pad assembly having an absorbent pad that holds over 1 quart of oil or transmission fluid without leaking.